Monday, August 27, 2012

Guest Post: Brian D. Anderson and Strong Females


 HOW THE FANTASY GENRE READERS HAVE CHANGED AND CREATING STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS
(BY BRIAN D. ANDERSON)



When I was young, I was enthralled by Tolkien, mystified by Asimov, and captivated by Jordan. But back then, the fan base of that particular genre was male dominated. You could peruse the sci-fi/fantasy section of your local bookstore, and scarcely bump into a member of the opposite sex; which was too bad really, considering I was at the age when the opposite sex was all I could think about. Today, things are much different.

When I looked at my own fan base recently, I noticed that well over half were female, and many were avid fantasy readers. At first I didn't give it much thought. Then I received a comment regarding the female characters in my book, and I began ponder it a bit more. A young lady who stumbled upon my work online wrote me that she loved how strong the women in my book were, and that it made her want to read more fantasy. As pleased as this made me, it was not something I had done intentionally. Though I have never been a fan of the “damsel in distress”, and have always felt it detracted from an overall storyline, it is not the reason I wrote Kaylia, Dina, Maybell, or even Salmitaya, the way I did. The truth is; weak characters, male or female, are not very interesting to me, and unless needed as part of the story, are not worth writing about. Though The Godling Chronicles is a fantasy series, it is not driven by the fantasy aspect. It is driven by the characters.

Kaylia, an elf, is deadly yet sensitive. Her enigmatic past and strong convictions have caused her to become an outcast. As her exposure to human’s increases, she is forced to re-evaluate everything she once held as true.

Dina, (I can't reveal too much about her. It would ruin the story for you), though not a warrior, is resourceful and courageous. Her dedication and determination makes her a force to be reckoned with.

Maybell, though at first thought to be soft and weak, shows that her heart is true and her wisdom vast. She is capable in ways that make her an invaluable asset.

Salmitaya...well you're just going to have to find out about her yourself.

That more fantasy writers are cluing in to the fact that weak female characters are neither appealing or interesting, has made fantasy more accessible to women, thereby creating an entirely new generation of fantasy lover. I am happy to have contributed to this, and am thrilled that my work appeals to such a broad audience. I intend to keep working hard to make the series exciting, and I'm looking forward to sharing this world of Gods, humans, elves, and other fantastical creatures, with readers of all ages and genders.


AUTHOR BIO

Brian D. Anderson was born in 1971, and grew up in the small town of Spanish Fort, A. He attended Fairhope High, then later Springhill College where his love for fantasy grew into a lifelong obsession. His hobbies include chess, history, and spending time with his son.
Jonathan Anderson was born in March of 2003. His creative spirit became evident by the age of three when he told his first original story. In 2010 he came up with the concept for The Godling Chronicles that grew into an exciting collaboration between father and son. Jonathan enjoys sports, chess, music, games, and of course, telling stories.



THE GODLING CHRONICLES (BOOK ONE): THE SWORD OF TRUTH
It has been five hundred years since the Great War between Elf and Human ripped the world apart, and the Dark Knight of Angrääl has stolen the Sword of Truth. With it, he has trapped the Gods in heaven. If left unchallenged he will kill the Gods and reshape the world into an unimaginable hell. The only hope for all of creation is a boy named Gewey Stedding, the only being born from the union of two Gods. Aided by Lee Starfinder, the son of Saraf, God of the Sea, and a mortal woman, he must discover the true nature of his power. However, this will not be easy. He is bound to the earth a mortal man, and in many ways is very human. When Kaylia, a young elf woman, joins their party, Gewey discovers that perils of the heart can be as treacherous as any sword. Gewey, Lee, Kaylia and other friends they meet on their journey, must battle the Dark Knight, find a way to heal the hatred between elf and man, and restore heaven itself.

THE GODLING CHRONICLES (BOOK ONE) is available on Amazon Kindle for $3.99 (FREE to Prime users). Get it here: http://goo.gl/1M5sX


BRIAN D. ANDERSON’S LINKS:

Brian’s Twitter:  @GodlingChron

3 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Glad to have you! We are on the same page with our characters. My series, The Empyrical Tales, features strong female leads and supporting characters too.

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  2. That's a very interesting post - I must admit I hadn't thought before about the changes in fantasy over the years but you're right, there are a lot of strong female characters appearing across the whole genre. There's a great mix in the Godling Chronicles though, not just of male/female but a whole cross section of humans, elves, Gods, etc. which adds to the richness of the stories.

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